Various control devices are used to effectively and efficiently maneuver aircraft during various phases of flight. Some control devices are directly attached to wings of aircraft, such as ailerons adapted for controlling “roll”, i.e. rotational movement of an aircraft about its longitudinal axis. Spoilers may also be directly attached to aircraft wings to rapidly reduce wing lift when and as desired, particularly during various descent phases of a flight. Flaps are typically attached directly to the wings to change their aerodynamic shapes for assuring stable flight control during slower speeds, such as during takeoff and landing.
Upon landing of a commercial jet aircraft, some form of thrust reverser is generally deployed immediately after actual touchdown to reduce rolling groundspeed to a point where landing gear wheel braking becomes effective. In jet aircraft having engines mounted on the rear or tail end of the empennage, a two-piece clam-style thrust reverser is typically deployed from the engine exhaust outlet to direct exhaust thrust forwardly for retarding groundspeed. In turbofan jet aircraft having wing-mounted engines, the thrust reverser is typically situated within an annular bypass air duct situated between the engine and engine nacelle, in the form of a circumferential ring of blocker doors attached to linkage configured to deploy the doors into the duct.
Several challenges have been presented by the latter bypass duct thrust reversers, including ongoing efforts to reduce and/or minimize their burdensome weight and excrescence drag penalties.
It is therefore desirable to provide improved thrust reversers, along with thrust reverser components, that accommodate ever increasing aircraft efficiency and performance demands. Such components, for example the blocker doors and their deployment mechanisms, should be lighter in weight, ideally possess enhanced functionality such as allowing for more noise abatement surface area, and yet maintain required strength and robustness in the face of increasingly stringent design targets.